Items

• 
  2021-02-18

  Vaccine-gate in Peru

  Peru's president, wife, and other well-connected politicians were getting the COVID-19 vaccine back in October, provided by the Chinese company Sinopharm. The vaccines were distributed before the vaccine was publically available, and some high-level officials have resigned.
• 2021-02-18

  The Immorality of Being Happy in a Pandemic

  As a student who goes to a very tight knit Catholic College, nothing has split the community on campus quite like this. The issue comes with balancing the benefits of an in person education with maintaining a healthy social life compounded by inconsistent rule enforcement. From my perspective, there is a scale for how seriously people follow the COVID protocols, on one end there are people who religiously follow every rule, and on the other, people who go at great lengths to break them and think nothing of going to a packed club. The student body sits everywhere in between these two poles. The difference in opinion causes the people who follow the rules to resent the people who break the rules. They see it as reckless and selfish that some students hold their interests in a higher regard than the well being of their classmates. The people who break the school’s quarantine were tired of never leaving their dorm and argue that college is meant to be fun and if you have to bend the rules to see friends that's acceptable. I’ve seen these disagreements split dorm rooms, best friends, sports teams and classmates. Without a common area to communicate our differences we are only left to passive aggressively hate through social media. Very often people's views on following the “Community Care Covenant” depends on how convenient it is to them. It is very easy to condemn off campus partiers when it is a Thursday night with no plans to go out and a lot of homework to do. It becomes just as easy to mock the frivolity of the rules when your friends are going out and leave you with the option of being lonely or finding enjoyment. I have been both amused and exasperated to see some of my acquaintances with strong liberal views condemn Trump and anti-maskers on all platforms for refusing to accept the sound science of social distancing and covering one's mouth. Then not even an hour later they will post from the same account a picture of them at a two-hundred person house party, drink in hand, and not a mask in sight. As if them claiming their intentions are pure makes their actions irrelevant. I have seen this every weekend and am dumbfounded with the lack of self awareness some people show. In the name of honesty I will admit that I feel this contradiction personally. I scroll through my phone and get jealous and annoyed by posts of my college peers in large groups, without masks, clustered together. Unfortunately, even though I agree with all the social distancing precautions things change when I have the opportunity for fun. One year into having almost every single conversation being with the same eight people, I long for the college experience. As much as I dislike going against rules that I personally agree with there is no end in sight to this pandemic. Besides, I rationalize, my friends and I are all healthy and would not purposefully endanger elders. So despite people like me self-righteously shaking our fists and quarantine breakers, I do feel strong temptations to do so. For example, I had not seen my girlfriend in weeks and the new relationship we had started was dying due to long distance. Do I break protocol by taking her on a date and spending time with her? Yes, I did. When friends I had not seen since first semester freshman year asked me my second semester sophomore year to join them for drinks. Do I follow the rules and stay in my dorm watching television, or do I go into junior year with more than two friends? There is a huge culture of hypocrisy at all levels, whether it be the students or the school itself. The school, sadly, is not innocent of responsibility for some of these divisions. The school refuses to allow men and women to visit each other in their dorms, but as the saying goes “out of sight out of mind” as the athletic teams and others have off-campus parties just a mile away the school would have to be fools not to notice. My friends and I are not allowed to play basketball in the gym. But if we are out of the public eye in a secluded part of campus, fifty people can play pick up sports. Sure the campus police will not break up bonfires in the woods and won’t bat an eye when several packed cars leave campus at the same time but four people can not eat lunch together. Most people seem to be concerned about covering their own behinds rather than any sort of actual safety. To conclude, this is not an easy time for anybody. There have been plenty of tough decisions to make and things are not so black and white as campus rules would like to believe. Having fun is hard work in COVID America. The social pressures at this school continue to weigh heavily on those who do their best to do the ‘right thing’. Like I said earlier, there is a large scale of where people's beliefs over COVID policy lands, but I think I can speak for college students everywhere when I say, I cannot wait for this to return to normal.
• 
  2020-11-05

  Echoing Empty Galleries

  This photo, taken at the Detroit Institute of Art, is a glimpse of the drastically different pandemic-era museum experience. Upon entrance to the museum, guests are masked, tickets are bought online, temperatures are checked, and then one can wander the silent, empty galleries. Diego Rivera’s monumental Detroit Industry Murals are even more awe-inspiring when drifting around the cavernous hall distraction-free, with only sentinel machines keeping one company. Presently, Rivera’s personal history of political conflict and pandemic-related loss ring especially true. Although museum visits have adapted, one can still experience a powerful connection to art, in a new, maybe even improved way.
• 
  2021-02-12

  Local man becomes victim of COVID-19-fueled spike in unemployment fraud

  Along with COVID-19 came a spike in identity theft. These thieves then use the stolen information to apply for COVID-19 unemployment benefits. In some cases, the states try to get the victims to pay back the money given to the thief.
• 
  2020-12-19

  Opportunity for street art

  The news story is both an interview with a street artist in New York and an exploration of how street art has taken off in New York as a result of the pandemic. The artist and the article report that many businesses have boarded up their windows and vacated, leaving a lot of unattended public space for artists to occupy, especially for illegal graffiti. Not everyone supports the increase in graffiti and street art, as other residents complain about the graffiti-related crime and vandalism.
• 
  2020-12-17

  New Ale House Sign: London ON, Canada

  A pub in downtown London Ontario, Canada has been making its opinion of the pandemic restrictions heard through their ever changing sign out front.
• 
  2021-01-03

  Teachers Not Heard

  Parents of the high school I worked at for twenty-five years and where my husband and many friends are still working purchased this billboard to display the message of discontent for one month about how unhappy they are that their students are being subjected to online schooling. The school district named on the billboard has chosen to keep kids physically out of the district's high schools after the winter break due to the immense surge of Covid cases in Arizona. The billboard is disturbing to see since it implies that online learning and the teachers' efforts instructing the students online are not working, and students are failing. A few parents think that the teachers are not doing enough to teach their children and that their children are better off being physically in a classroom environment regardless of the exposure risks to Covid. The parents who posted the billboard do not realize that the teachers teaching online want to be back in their classrooms as much as students but that they want to be safe from unnecessary and potential exposure to Covid. Many teachers have health issues that could become fatal if they were to contract Covid; many teachers live in blended households where they take care of older family members at high risk of exposure to Covid. Many teachers and school employees have children at home learning online while they are teaching, and those teachers have to juggle being a professional and parent at the same time. All of the school district teachers are doing the best job that they can teaching online, juggling family issues for those with their own families sequestered at home. The teachers remain silent towards the public outbursts, such as the one posted on the billboard. Teachers are trying their best to be professional online and personally during this pandemic and refrain from lashing out at the cruelty of those who appear to be a privileged minority posting discontentment on a public billboard.
• 
  2021-01-21

  Nearly 1 in 5 Defendants in Capitol Riot Cases Served in the Military

  The article discusses the Capitol riots and the veterans who participated in them, as well as recent extremist behavior within the military and the government's response.
• 
  2020-05-04

  New Mexico Invokes Riot Law to Control Virus Near Navajo Nation

  This article discusses the use of a rarely used Riot Law Act to help diminish the tension between the Navajo reservation and the small towns bordering the reservation in Gallup, New Mexico. The upsurge in cases on the reservation resulted in accusations that the Navajo brought the virus into Gallup and its suburbs. The tribe has fired back that Gallup citizens are refusing to follow social distancing mandates and as a result, Gallup has one of the highest case rates in the nation. This report relates to the JOTPY archive as it an example of the friction COVID-19 has created between the local government and tribal reservations.
• 
  2021-01-31

  Distracting Myself with Latte Art

  At the moment, the only reasons I leave the house is to shop for essentials and for work. As a barista, my job can get fairly uncomfortable, as there is often a struggle between me and the customer, as they immediately want to remove their mask and take a sip of their drink instead of waiting until they are at a table or outside, or they don't want to wear one at all and refuse to comply when we ask. We also have pushback against limiting indoor seating and maximum capacity of the store, as we do have a small shop that makes it difficult to distance. It has led to tense interactions and anxiety leading up to shifts, and I have been struggling to find reasons to enjoy work. Because of this struggle, I turned towards improving my latte art as a way to both improve my craft and distract myself from the complications and uncomfortable interactions that have disrupted my workplace. It has brought me a sense of productivity and calm, despite the issues pervading the shop. This is my progress so far.
• 
  2021-01-29

  A different kind of anti-mask rally

  This post is pretty important to me, in a lot of ways, mainly because of the fear it’s evoked in me, or anger, both probably. This is an advertisement for the ‘Walk for Freedom’ event, to take place outside the legislature building of Edmonton, in Alberta. This is supposedly an anti-mask, anti-lockdown movement however it would be incorrect to assume that this movement only had once face. In reality, the Albertan anti-mask movement has large components of white-supremacists, fascists, Nazis who have been seen at several previous anti-mask rallies throughout the province. During these events, local businesses which enforce social distancing, those with masks and reportedly visible minorities are subjected to verbal and physical abuse. Organizations such as the Proud Boys, The Sons of Odin are all present at these events and eagerly recruit pandemic skeptics into their groups by binding the cause of ‘freedom’ to that of bigotry and hatred. I know my description of this event seems bad enough, and may have your head scratching with how I’m essentially saying this rally is going to be full of neo-Nazi’s and white supremacists, but I just want to point out the most glaring issue present within this advertisement. Those people marching, that photo is from the ‘Unite the Right’ march in Charlottesville in 2017, they actively chose that image – and the historic fascist imagery of a torch march to be the face of their movement. Essentially, this isn’t very tongue and cheek anymore; there is going to be a fascist march on my province’s capitol. Already, counter-protestors are organizing to show up and face these people in the streets. It’s even more concerning when police and governmental figures are not saying a word about this march, we have no idea if they’re prepared for what’s supposed to come. I could go on for pages, but, I’m just scared. Alberta desperately wants to be like its southern neighbor, we elected a man who markets himself as a fiscal conservative in the shadow of Donald Trump, who has a history of advocating for restrictive policies directed towards the LGTBQ+ community and we had people take to the streets as the American capitol was stormed. They were waving American flags and thin blue line American flags, it’s just insanity, I don’t understand these people. I’m adding this to the archive because I just want to try and illustrate the tone of politics in Alberta, in regards to our pandemic skeptics. From my perspective, the anti-mask movements down in the states appear to be relatively simple, entitled and ignorant people marching for their ‘rights,’ mistaking inconvenience for oppression, I’m aware there is also a stark politicization of masks down in the States. However, here there’s a more sinister tone to it – it’s become embroiled in conspiracies of a ‘great reset’, anti-Semitism and infiltrated by organized Fascist movements to gain larger bases. I feel as if I’m rambling, but there’s just so much to say – I hope it doesn’t turn into anything as similar as America’s January 6th or Charlottesville, I hope people don’t show up.
• 2021-01-27

  Analyzing a water usage during COVID article

  The Pacific Institute Article is here (in the document this was the link but ill just give the actual URL below)!! “As many people have put together a water shortage is happening because of COVID. This is because so many more people are using longer showers and stuff while they stay home as they are uncomfortable doing their business outside of home. In Portsmouth, England water demand increased by 15% throughout the past 10 months. Here in SF water demand for residential blocks gained 10% whilst decreasing by over 30% everywhere else. There are also many other facts given other than Portsmouth and SF.” Is the main info the article is given through a very stately manner. This article also likes using numbers which I like about it giving facts instead of something they think. The article keeps circling back to utilities and is clearly meant for DIY workers instead of giving other info. It also heads sections unlike many other articles on other subtopics. This is actually quite useful if you need certain information like using the article much more as a source than most other articles. Even with all this I still think it is an article, not a list of instructions or facts.
• 2021-01-26

  For The Sake Of My Time

  At first it was nothing, Then something for all. I wrote and I drew, I played ball. The wind blew outside, strong and loud, But I was inside, away from the crowd, today was no day, for something out loud. And when my notebook fell to the floor, I cried. When my mask shifted on my face, “They could die” But at the end of the day, I picked up my pages for the sake of my time. Author's (Explanatory) Note: I stitched this together through scraps in my notebook that I had written over the year. Some of them on simple topics, others on grave events. This is important to me because it's some of my writing that didn't come planned and pre-packed, but an experience and struggle put together through snippets of my life and genuine, if simple, emotions that are coursing through every single one of us, only to be amplified in times like these.
• 
  2021-01-28

  Fake News

  This is a poem about how it's hard to know where your news is coming from, and what to believe.
• 2021-01-28

  Amanda's future pandemic nightmare.

  The scene begins on december 31st 2019. Amanda: This year has been a wonderful year and I am ready to greet the next year 2020 with a few new year’s resolutions. My first new years resolution is- Mysterious time traveling Alien: I'm going to stop you right there. Amanda: who are you????!!!! Mysterious time traveling Alien: You aren’t going to get to do any of your new year's resolutions this year. Amanda: Yes I am. Why do you say that? Mysterious time traveling Alien: You’ll see. In fact, you’ll see right now. All of a sudden with a flash of blinding white-green light, Amanda is zapped 3 months into the future. Amanda: what happened? What day is it? She looks at her computer. Oh no! I’m late for a meeting! She then sees another email. It’s my boss. “Here is a zoom link” what is this? I guess I’ll click it. She enters the zoom meeting. Boss: alright. Hello, Amanda! So glad you arrived! So we have a problem. Amanda: No, I have a problem. What’s going on? Why are we on this call? Why am I not at work? Boss: are you serious? You don’t know? Yesterday you knew fine. You were saying you wished this pandemic would be over with. Amanda: But what’s going on? Boss: a virus has traveled around the world and has resulted in us having to stay at home, wear masks when we go outside, and do everything online. That’s why you’re here. Are you ok? Do you have amnesia? Amanda: i have to leave for a few minutes. Boss: the most i can give you is 20. Be sure to mute your mic and stop your video. Amanda: How do I do that? Boss: you do so like usual. Amanda: oh my god. What is going on? When i was making my new year's resolutions 10 minutes ago i had no idea this was what it was going to be like. How am I going to survive? I am never going to survive a day like this. Boss: um, Amanda? You’re not on mute. Amanda: How do i mute myself? Boss: you click on the bottom left hand corner of your screen and you have the option to mute and stop video. Amanda: ok. She does so, with much difficulty. Oh wait, Tiffany's calling. Maybe she can tell me what’s going on here. Tiffany: hey! How are you? What are you going to do today? Amanda: i was thinking about going to the grocery store, filing reports, and visiting you this afternoon. Tiffany: hold on, going to the grocery store? You have to order online. The only way you’re going to visit me is if you wear a mask. And the only thing you’ll get to do at home is the filling out reports thing. Amanda: how long is this going to last? Tiffany: what? Amanda: the whole “pandemic” thing. Tiffany: I think 2 weeks to a month. Amanda: thank god. Tiffany: I know, right? It’s terrible already! All of a sudden, Amanda’s Boss’s voice comes into her computer. Boss: Amanda? Are you ready to make your statement? Amanda: yes boss. Boss: i can’t hear you. You’re still on mute. Just as she finds the unmute and start video buttons, her 5 year-old daughter Vivian calls her saying she has been kicked out of her meeting. Amanda struggles for a few seconds, but then, with another blinding flash of white-green light, she is zapped into december 31st again. Mysterious time traveling Alien: Now do you see why you can’t do any of your new year's resolutions? Amanda: no, Tiffany said that the quarantining will only last 2 weeks to a month. I’ll have plenty of time to finish my new year's resolutions. Mysterious time traveling Alien: It’s going to be much longer than that. Amanda: *faints*
• 
  2020-06-19

  The Dangerous Luxury of Claiming You've Rejected Society

  Early in the pandemic, a man I knew died of Covid-19 in an overwhelmed hospital. I kept thinking he might not have died if the hospital had been better funded. Then I remembered he had once insisted to me that he lived outside society. I saw a sad connection: hospitals and public health in general were underfunded because too many people felt they did not share a common society with others. More thoughts about Covid and community started flooding my mind. Eventually I pulled these thoughts together in a short essay.
• 2020-01-27

  Statistics of Covid 19

  In the state of California there is 37,499 deaths. There is 3.21 million cases in the state of California. World wide there has been a total of 99.9 million cases. 55.2 million of those people have recovered from the virus and 2.14 million people have died. I don't really know a lot of people that have Covid but I still have to be careful. Covid is crazy and has changed the whole world. I am not a fan of Covid and I wish it could go away. I wish we could live a normal life. Covid has affected a lot of people and it has changed a lot of people's lives. Everywhere you go you have to wear a mask or stay six feet apart it is really annoying. You have to get used to different.
• 
  2020-05-29

  Coronavirus: Bill Gates 'microchip' conspiracy theory and other vaccine claims fact-checked

  This story specifically addresses and debunks the conspiracy theory that the coronavirus vaccine implants microchips into an individual's bloodstream, as well as some background ideas as to why conspiracy theories are prevalent and a rumored cow dung vaccine.
• 
  2021-01-20

  China turbocharges bid to discredit Western vaccines, spread virus conspiracy theories

  A Washington Post article highlighting how the Chinese government is attempting to discredit the new COVID-19 vaccines since they themselves were unable to produce an effective vaccine as they claimed
• 
  2021-01-23

  Change of Life A Friends Story!

  I realized the seriousness of the pandemic when I began an exercise program on February 6, 2020. There was not much noise being made about the pandemic yet. I got my nails and hair done on February 11-12, 2020. I would realize now that this would be the last time since I have done this in a year. As the pandemic progressed things were places shutting down and I left my exercise program on February 28, 2020. I early voted on March 2, 2020, and wore a mask. Saw my dentist on March 4, 2020, and got my hair done one last time. By May, I went practically to my doctors and my general physician via telehealth, and then finally I realized this was very serious. People I know began to test positive for Covid. One of these people came into direct contact with me so as a result I went and got a Covid Test as a safety precaution. I found out it was negative. I began to not leave the house now due to the rising cases in my community in Florida. In August cases began to surge even more as people returned to school since summer was over. The holidays came in December and the numbers continued to grow and caused me to not leave the house anymore. This has been a terrible year of isolation and has caused me to lose many dear friends due to the pandemics of isolationism and people's change in attitudes. I am blessed to have a great spouse and a home with a bed to sleep in. I got vaccinated in January 2021. While this brings hope I have to figure out what I am to do and how to move forward as a result of the ongoing pandemic while I have to still maintain safety protocols. I hope the end is in sight due to there now being federal government oversight.
• 
  2020-12-12

  Anti-mask protesters take to the streets in Calgary to fight COVID-19 restrictions

  This article details one of the numerous ‘freedom marches’ which took place in Calgary Alberta, Canada. These people were protesting in response to the government lockdowns, mask mandates and regulations to help limit the spread of Covid-19. However, what is interesting in this particular article is the reference to the multiplicity of causes behind each protestor; that protestors had different causes, and reasons for showing up. People marched for the obvious ‘anti-mask’ causes, yet others would protest for the ‘Wexit’ movement, which is the desire to establish either an independent Albertan ‘republic’ or join the U.S. as the 51st state. This item is important as it demonstrates how the pandemic sceptic movements of Calgary Alberta were viewed in a negative light; more importantly how these movements often co-opted other fringe movements such as the Albertan separatist movement. Similarly, the vitriol of these protestors is on display, as the Calgary freedom marchers have been notable for their behaviour of spitting, coughing and screaming at passersby, police and local businesses as evident in this particular story. Similarly, many believe these mask-less movements are super spreader events which are contributing to the spread of the virus in several urban centers throughout the province of Alberta, such as Calgary, Edmonton and Red Deer. This article provides substance to the pandemic sceptics of Alberta, Canada as no different to the anti-maskers of the United States; as uploading this, many of the organizations who attended and organized these events are currently organizing a massive march throughout the province which has been marketed to appear alike the tiki-torch rally of the far right in Charlottesville in 2017. I believe this article would fit best in the social justice collection to demonstrate the public/media response to the pandemic sceptics marching in the streets of Albertan cities.
• 
  2020-06-03

  Black Lives Matter Rally in Calgary Alberta

  This is a photo I took during one of Calgary’s Black Lives Matter marches in the Summer of 2020. In the wake of the murder of George Floyd, people took to the streets all over the world, not just America – In Calgary Alberta in particular, the death of George Floyd forced Canadians to critically look at our own law enforcement and state institutions, which were borne out of Canada’s colonial past. Not pictured in this photo would be the flags of numerous Indigenous nations, in particular the Mohawk nation – as in Canada and in America, the Black Lives Matter Movement synthesized itself with the cause of Indigenous sovereignty, as a means to combat white supremacy. During these marches, people who were antagonistic of the BLM movement stated that these marches were a threat to ‘public health’ as they believed protestors were marching mask less, this is not the case as evident in this photo. Organizers and random protestors were handing out masks, hand sanitization stations were set up with food, water and wipes. Signs were provided from the organizers to each marcher, if one did not bring their own. During this event, there was limited police presence as they maintained their distance from the large body of protestors which covered several streets. From what I recall what happened, I went with my friend Quinn, we showed up and found a place in the large crowd and listened to several speakers in the center of body of protestors (You can’t see it in this photo but it is directly center, behind the foliage). After the several speeches which took place, the organizers lead the people through a march downtown, to city hall. To my knowledge, there weren’t any instances of violence or confrontations with police – however I do remember there would be some agitators who would appear every now and then to yell at the protestors, or carry racist signs – I didn’t see this in particular, but saw photos of people doing so. This photograph would be beneficial to the social justice collection as it depicts the black lives matter movement of Calgary Alberta, Canada as fore mostly a window into the unique Canadian experience and similarly to how protests were conducted during a pandemic.
• 
  2020-11-30

  Premier blames South Asian community for spike in Covid cases

  This article was made in response to comments made by the premier of Alberta, Jason Kenny towards the South Asian community of Calgary. In particular, Kenny had attributed the social gatherings and “tradition” of the South Asian community being the cause for a spike in Covid cases throughout the province. His comments were viewed as an extension of rising anti-Asian racism throughout the province, which can largely be attributed to the rhetoric of U.S. president Donald Trump as a means to escape liability for mismanaging the pandemic response. The community he blamed in particular is traditionally working class, who are employed in much of the city’s service and logistical jobs which are essential to the province as a whole. From food vendors, taxi drivers, cleaners, city employees – the frontline workers, those who are exposed most to the virus. Even more so, Jason Kenny’s comments caused further anger as he was somehow unable to assign the same blame to the swaths of mask-less protestors who marched in large groups throughout the province in defiance of government mandates in the following week. I believe this artifact would prove useful to the collection of Social Justice, mainly it is another Canadian experience based in the growing racialization/politicization of the covid-19 pandemic, and the ways in which conservative governments have attempted to scape-goat their own failings onto vulnerable communities. As throughout the pandemic, especially in the Western World, there has been an unnerving attempt to racialize the pandemic. Such as placing the blame on Chinese people, then Asian people as a whole; similarly this extends to working-class communities who man the frontlines to keep society functioning as normal. These communities (in regards to Calgary) are primarily composed of new immigrants who were not born in Canada, by Jason Kenny blaming these people for the upsurge in cases, he is exemplifying a racist generalization towards the entirety of the South Asian community of Calgary. In regards to Canada, this item matters to display that our pandemic experience was no different in that it illustrated the stark racial divides throughout the province, once compared to the primarily white ‘freedom’ marchers (who were also in the company of fascist/white-supremacist organizations such as the Proud Boys, Sons of Odin) walked proudly through our cities mask-less with little to no government comments as similar to Kenny’s on the SA community. I want to add these to the collection of Social Justice, as articles like these were first spurned on by anti-racist activists who initially heard Kenny’s remarks. What followed shortly after was a provincial outcry directed towards the premier for his questionable history in regards to racism. Situations like these prove that there is systemic racism at work within the government of Alberta, as the government racialized the issue of Covid-19, while looking away from the predominantly white mask less marchers.
• 
  2020-03-13T13:54

  Looking Back to the Shutdown

  This photo was taken a few minutes before 1:00 PM on Friday, March 13, 2020 at the Arizona Historical Society Heritage Center in Tempe. That day stands out as the day everything started shutting down due to COVID-19. I had set out for an appointment in downtown Phoenix, but found out it had been cancelled when I was about halfway there. I got my Lyft driver to change course and head to the Heritage Center instead so that I could take care of some other business. As all this was happening, a rather freakish thunderstorm broke out. That same day, my son received an email from the University of Arizona advising him not to return from Spring Break, and I found out that Arizona State University would conduct all classes on line for the rest of the semester. The following Monday, my wife was sent home early to work remotely and has continued to do so ever since. Looking back after ten months of the pandemic (whoever dreamed it would go on this long?), this picture symbolizes the start of the whole chaotic ordeal.
• 
  2020-10

  Family Inheritance

  My grandmother passed in July 2020, a few months after the Covid-19 pandemic began in the United States. She left behind a lot of miscellaneous things, including a number of family heirlooms that I have inherited. When we were packing up her trailer and storage containers, we had totes upon totes filled with family documents, awards, newspaper clippings, objects, and photographs. I feel as if I have my own personal archive of our family within these totes. I can't help being emotional about these things I now possess and grateful that my grandmother was a family-history hoarder. I can carry her memory on by taking care of them. One of the various objects was this letter/certificate in a frame, giving thanks and recognition to my great-grandfather for his military service after he had passed. I don’t know much about the paper itself, it seems pretty common and not a unique letter, but it was something nice and surprising to find within the boxes.
• 2021-01-19

  Rules and Procedures

  Out of all Covids procedures quarantine has effected me the most. In the beginning it was so crazy to me because it was just something I saw in science fiction movies but I'm pretty used to it now. I miss going out with my friends like normal. I've only seen three of my friends during this whole thing because I know we've only seen each other. I don't know how I could handle this without them. School is very different although I expected it. We have to walk certain ways, have plexiglass between us and scatter the desks. I really don't mind wearing mask, it's not only for my safety but others. I don't think it's a big deal, honestly I don't understand why some people get so pressed about having to wear one. It makes me kind of uncomfortable talking about Covid and its procedures because everyone has their own thoughts about it and it tends to be set in stone. I make sure I follow all the procedures so we can get over this, I think even thought some are hard its what has to be done.
• 
  2021-01-20

  The Trials and Tribulations of Getting This Shot

  It's important so that people realize that just because a vaccination is approved for use, it does not mean that it's readily available
• 2021-01-20

  Covid-19 New Norms and Rules

  All the new rules revolving around the virus have were strange to get used to but seem normal now. Wearing masks, social distancing, not seeing close people who. may be high risk, etc. If someone was to tell me this would be my life a couple years ago, I would never believe them. It sounds like a different planet, completely different from what I'm used to.
• 2021-01-20

  Covid Rules

  There are many Covid Protocols in place to protect everyone but sometimes they can be annoying. For example wearing a mask is something we have to do every day and even though it can be a nuisance it is still important to wear for the safety of ourselves and others.
• 
  2021-01-20

  The Bed of Growth

  My bed has been a significant part for the past 10 months. It's where I had my sleepless nights, a place where I cried, a corner that held my dreams, and most importantly a place of comfort. Throughout this pandemic, my bed has given me comfort that I couldn't get from my friends due to distancing. It's been my new happy place, a place where I resort to when I undergo stress. I've done lots of growing and thinking during this time, mostly in the late hours of the nights while everyone was asleep. Going through this pandemic has been hard on my teenage mind, but it has helped me become a better person. Though this pandemic has been hard on the whole world, it's changed the way I think and the mindset that I've gained throughout the past year is something I wouldn't give up.
• 2021-01-20

  Rules I have to follow

  Here at oaks christian, they have made restrictions to the normal life I use to have at school. One rule that I have gotten used to is wearing a mask for the whole school day. We have to walk in on direction in the halls, which sometimes makes me late to my next class, or I get lectured by one of the traffic controllers. What makes me sad is thinking that for the rest of my life even when covid goes away, I will still see other people around me wearing a mask and being afraid.
• 2021-01-20

  COVID Rules

  During covid a lot of new rules have come into place. The main one is masks. This rule just makes it so that we have to wear a face mask whenever we go into a public area. I feel like this rule is important because it slows down the rate of which covid is spreading. I also think that masks can be annoying sometimes but that putting up with it is worth it if it means that we can be more safe. Another new rule is social distancing. This is where we have to stay 6 feet apart from each other at all times. I also think this rule is important to stop close interactions since we never know who has covid and who doesn't. This rule is harder to follow though because it means that we have to reduce the number of people allowed in a store at one time.
• 2021-01-20

  Rules I have to follow

  The rules that came with Covid are very different than normal life. It is considered lucky to get into a store in less than 5 minuted because of the lines. They only allow a certain amount of people in a store and you have to wear a mask at all times. Even when we are in a drive thru we still have to wear a mask. Wearing a mask is terrible. It's always itchy and you can't breathe.
• 2021-01-20

  The Rules of Covid

  This time of fear called the Coronavirus came with many rules and restrictions, many being annoying and unpleasant. During this epidemic we have had to wear masks to prevent us from spreading the disease through the air. Another restriction that have to follow is staying six feet apart from other people as to prevent getting the disease through close contact. At the time of writing this I would say that the whole world is sick and tired of having to seclude ourselves from other people. It has gotten to the point where many people are lonely and depressed.
• 2021-01-20

  Rules I have to Follow

  In quarantine, we have had to wear masks to avoid the spread of COVID-19. I agreed with the rule through most of 2020 but I have become angry at the fact that everything is still closed. We have flattened the curve as we were told to at the beginning but now we are just causing more homelessness and depression from quarantine and the loss of jobs. Other rules we must follow are those of eating outdoors and not having large gatherings. All these rules have one goal, to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 but it is really getting annoying at this point.
• 2020-03-20

  Rules are meant to be broken

  In my covid experience rules suck. At the beginning of quarentine my mom found out that the Virus was airborne. So, she did not let us go outside for a month. I had to wear a mask all Christmas Eve. I also had to socially distance Christmas morning. My family to be safe abbides by a ton of rules during quarentine.
• 2021-01-20

  Covid Rules

  To be honest there are way too many rules that you have to follow. The most common of course is the wearing a mask every time you are in the same room with a different person. The only problem is that I fell like I might pass out if I wear it for too long. Another one is Only walking in one direction. Here is the problem, You walk around the building and accidently miss your class. Either you go back 20 steps and are forced to turn around by the TA or you complete a full circuit around the building and are tardy, your choice. The next rule I find incredibly annoying. every time you transition classes you are required to get hand sanitizer. The machine ends up giving way more than it should and you send the next 5 minutes trying not to run in to something while looking down and rubbing it on your hands. You also have to do that while trying to walk to your next class. And my personal favorite, just kidding, is social distancing. I you are in break and you are trying to play a game or just talk you must be 6 feet apart. I hate it because you practically have to yell for the person to hear you.
• 2021-01-20

  Corona Rules

  Ever since Corona Virus there has been many new rules and procedures that all of us have had to follow, here are my thoughts and feelings on them. One of the biggest things we have had to do is wear a mask. I feel this is totally unnecessary and not a good rule. If anything only the sick and people who are scared should wear a mask. They are very controlling and considering how not deadly the virus is they are not needed. Social distancing makes no sense at all because they say the masks work so well, then why do we need to stay apart. An example of it not making sense is on a plane. On a plane they fill it completely with people jam packed next to each other for hours, but as soon as you are getting off you have to social distance, it makes no sense. Keeping everyone shut down is not ok. People aren't able to provide for their family because of a virus that's less harmful than the flu. The people that are scared should stay home, but not everyone because the only thing that is happening, is our immune systems are growing weaker and weaker because we are not exposed to the outside germs. They are trying too hard to make us avoid sickness and they are acting like we didn't risk our health every day before the virus.
• 2021-01-20

  Covid Rules

  One rule that we have to follow is to keep you mask on at all times. I feel like it is necessary but sometimes its gets a little annoying with the mask. Another rule would be 6 feet apart I think it does work. But I feel when you are 6 feet apart from someone you should be able to take off your mask only when you outside. Lastly We have to walk certain paths in school to get to class. I don't like this because some of my classes are far away from each other and it takes a long time to get there without covid. But with this new rule I have to go around the whole school and take the 7th grade stairs. This are some of the rules we have to follow and how I feel about them.
• 2021-01-16

  Wearing a mask to school

  Some of the rules that we have to follow in school is wearing a mask and social distancing. First, I feel there is no point in us wearing a mask when none of the school wears an N-95 (the only mask doctor say completely works and protects.) I also don't like how doctors say the virus can't spread when we are 6 feet apart. At school, we are 6 feet apart, so why do we have to wear masks in class.
• 2021-01-20

  Covid Rules

  Some of the many rules for Covid is that you have to wear masks at places. I personally think masks are bad/useless because you can't breath, they give me headaches, and they don't really help. Also, they should not be forcing people to wear them and should be glad when people are wearing them and not complain about it being over their nose. Another rule that some stores have is that they limit the number of people that can go into a store. Honestly, this is just kinda pointless and makes doing something take much longer than it needs to be. Some thing people also do is social distance and use hand sanitizer, which is gross and really bad for your hands. Overall, I think these rules are unnecessary and should not be forced.
• 2021-01-19

  the rules of covid

  I never liked the idea of wearing masks. Everyone would give you dirty looks if you didn't. I still didn't care, if i was to get covid then so be it! Then eventually it was a mandate. To be honest, The covid virus was the least of my concerns. I really am not worried about the virus, and personally hate all the mandates.
• 
  0001-01-17

  Poor Royals

  Awww poor rich, self-absorbed people. In the past week we surpassed 2 million global deaths from COVID. Our nation’s capitol was attacked by domestic terrorists led by an insane person who thinks he is king. Families have lost jobs, been evicted, and can’t feed their kids. Social injustice runs rampant. Yet this is breaking news on Yahoo. Stop it. Just stop it!
• 
  2021-01-06

  "internal security threat"

  From post: The House and Senate recessed from their session to count state-certified Electoral College votes as pro-Trump protesters breached the Capitol and the building locked down. ⁠ ⁠ A notice from Capitol Police sent to all Capitol staff warned them of an "internal security threat" and told them to shelter in their offices and stay away from windows.⁠ ⁠ Lawmakers posted messages urging protesters to be peaceful, and reporters inside the Capitol shared videos of protesters wandering the halls of the Capitol looking for lawmakers to confront about the electoral votes. Photo shows mayhem in the Capitol. Some masked. Was this a super spreader event?
• 2020-08-08

  Sensory Limitations While Job Seeking in a COVID Environment

  In March of 2020 I made the decision to leave Active Duty Army and pursue a new career in the civilian world. I submitted my resignation and began a six month process to transition out. It was immediately after this drastic step that the effects of COVID-19 on our daily lives began. My state (Maryland) shut down, and my mission essential job that I was in the process of leaving required me to pick up the extra work from at-risk employees. The applications to different government agencies that I had submitted were placed on hold due to the inability of those agencies to conduct in-person events. With less time available, my ability to apply for more jobs was also limited. After a delay of four months, and with only a few more to go before inevitable unemployment, agencies slowly began reinstating their hiring processes. It was at this time that the sensory impacts of a COVID-19 hiring market began to show. Most smaller agencies resorted to telephonic interviews or at the most, video conference calls. Those that did ask for an in-person interview were still heavily controlled with COVID-19 risk mitigation practices. Regardless of the medium enacted, the effects on the senses were the same. Visual senses not withstanding (the inability to see my interviewer was disconcerting, but at least I got to wear jeans), the tactile and auditory senses were also greatly impacted. In every interview conducted pre-COVID, the procedures consisted of shaking hands at the beginning of an interview (i.e. establishing trust through that time-worn gesture), sitting in close proximity to an interviewer with whom you are able to hear clearly, and who can hear you clearly, and in whom you can read facial expressions indicating when you may have said too much or not enough. The interview would then be over and you would seal that act through a final handshake and a smile. None of these basic tenants of interviews occur during a COVID-19 mitigated interview. In my first interview with a federal law enforcement agency, my interview panel and myself were required to wear masks, I was welcomed into the room without any of the standard greetings (handshakes and smiles) and seated behind a plexiglass barrier 8-10 feet from any of the interviewers. Not only did the interview lack the physical interaction that ceremonially marks the beginning and end of the interview, but due to masks, the conduct of the interview was also strained. Questions from interviewers were difficult to hear and understand due to the distance, glass, and masks, therefore requiring awkward repetitions which cast doubt on my competence and confidence. My responses were likewise muffled, which led to doubts as to whether my answers were fully understood by the interviewers. Both assaults on the auditory ability and tactile senses taken for granted in a pre-COVID world lead to an autocatalytic attack on my nerves. The lack of hearing and the absence of a reassuring touch eroded any confidence I may have had going into the interview that would have otherwise remained until I left. COVID-19 mitigation measures reduced what is normally a very personal interaction between human beings to a robotic and numbing experience lacking in all the sensory elements that enables the humanity of an interview. I conducted six more interviews in similar limited sensory manners, eventually evolving my expectations and re-learning a process before finally securing a position.
• 
  2020-12-16

  Covid-19

  My story is that we had to change our whole lives because of this. With online school, no toilet paper, masks, social distance, and so many more protocols. This year has been the craziest year in a while and I'm only thirteen. We had to quarantine ourselves away from others for so long that when I finally started seeing my friends again it was like I hadn't seen them in like 8 months. Through all these months the only people I was able to be around was my family. Don't even get me started on not being able to see my grandparents. Because they were at higher risk in never saw them like once for so long and I would normally talk with them all the time but I couldn't.
• 
  1999-05-11

  Aesop Carl

  This picture was one of the drawings I made during the pandemic. People grow and change from disasters, and so does the boy in the picture. He was an innocent child until his only family member-- his father was killed in front of him.
• 2020-11-25

  My Bed

  I never imagined spending the end of my high school senior year in bed. I always expected and looked forward to the social gatherings, late nights with friends, prom, graduation, spending time with my class, all the things you see on TV. Instead, the class of 2020 and the rest of the world switched to online learning/work, hand sanitizer, masks, and social distancing, along with the constant fear of the COVID-19 virus. Cases rose, along with time at home and persistent anxieties. Will I get it? What if I spread it to my parents? Or worse, my grandparents? School stopped. Work stopped. My family stayed home, isolated. Due to the complete halt of social interaction, and nothing else to do, I ended up spending too much time alone in my bed. My bed, like many teenagers, has always been one of my favorite places and most frequent visitation. But how much time in bed is too much? Due to COVID time, my bed transformed from being a place I slept and left every day, to a type of addiction. A place I was bound to and could not escape. There were some positives to being in my bed during these unprecedented times. At first, spending time in my bed was nice, I got more sleep than in the normal school year, and I got to relax during the day. My bed before COVID had always been a place for me after school or work to go and be alone. It’s a warm inviting space where I don’t have to impress society or anyone. It is like an oasis, with comfy blankets and pillows, lit candles around. I like to bring my cat into my room after a hard day and cuddle in bed with her if she allows it. Although my relationship with my bed changed during COVID, my relationship with the rest of my family did not. On a positive note, my bed and other beds in my house became gathering spaces. A joy of lockdown was that my older sister came home and stayed with us for two months. One of our favorite things to do together is to watch movies and tv shows with my mom too. My bed became a space for all of us to be together and watch movies and chit chat. We would all be so happy that we were all reunited again. Because we never expected this to happen. Once hours without school turned from weeks to months, time in my bed increased way more than usual. I had way too much time to spend in bed, and nothing to do in the outside world. My bed had once been a place for me to go when I craved alone time. But once I had nowhere but my house to be, my bed became the only place I spent time. I laid there for hours on my phone lazily. During my time in bed, I felt lazy and bored. I was unproductive and unmotivated. I wanted to go to places with people. I started to hate my bed, and hate what I had become because of my bed. At one point it got so bad that I was spending so much time lying in bed that my back started having problems from slouching so much. Strange right? That really was a sign for me to get off my butt and do something. I changed my attitude and realized I had to get out of bed and go outside. When the weather got warmer and sunnier, I was finally able and wanted to leave my room and go spend time outside. This allowed me to feel the fresh air and feel productive outside in the real world. Being able to leave my bed and return to it later in the day, made my bed rewarding again, instead of never leaving and being mad at myself and the bed for drawing me in. A bed is meant to be somewhere to sleep. But for me, during the pandemic, it was a place to relax, read, socialize, be warm, watch tv, even eat. However, because of its spell on me, I needed to learn to interact with my bed with caution and moderation, for my sanity. Like anything during these COVID times, my bed and I had good experiences and bad experiences. I had to learn how I needed to cope with my emotions concerning my bed. Before COVID, my bed was a place for me to unwind and feel better. But during the lockdown, I realized that my relationship with other people was better for my mental health, over spending time in bed. Overall, it provided me a safe space to rekindle my energy. But because of the circumstances, it might have been too much. It inhibited me from leaving it like I was tied and stuck. But it also made me grateful. To feel comfortable and safe in my room away from the uncertainty of current times.
• 
  2020-08-10

  Seeing the Shades

  It is human nature to ignore somethings over others through the application of selective attention. According to human psychology, we tend to focus on information that we think matters more while ignoring the presumed irrelevant details. The same applies to colors. They are flamboyant, bringing out the best, most salient parts of objects. However, they are merely as alluring without the shades, the easily ignored parts that make objects pop. If you were to ask me before the pandemic COVID-19, what the utensil that produces shades means to me, I’d probably tell you schoolwork. It means working on an assignment in Spanish class, drafting an artwork for art class. It’s something that blends into my life, something so easily accessible that I had ignored. COVID-19 inspired me to expand my selective attention, giving me an opportunity to deal with my personal crisis. It allowed me to realize the importance of shades. Pencils are typical. They have long and narrow bodies, a burgundy pinkish eraser on the top, and a greyish carbon tip. It’s everywhere, in school, stores, houses…So obtainable that people tend to disregard its essentiality. Before the COVID crisis, I use a pencil mostly under instructions: “use a pencil to darken circles for this section”, “please use a pencil to do the annotations”, “always draft your artwork with a pencil”. It had been an object that I associate with obligations and restraints. I enjoy socializing and being in crowded locations. Deep down, I know that spending time with others provides me an excuse to not face “me”. Being accompanied by technology since my early childhood, it’s easy to feel lost and hollow when I’m idling around; when I’m truly alone with myself. I didn’t like being with myself because I know I would overthink. So, I used to go out whenever I could. It is a personal crisis that I have avoided and procrastinated on fixing. Coincidentally, the pandemic happened, and I was forced to quarantine in my house, with me. As a member of Generation Z, I spent most of the first two months immersed in technology: Tik Tok, Instagram, and YouTube. I used all my time absorbing useless information online, to fill the emptiness I feel from lack of social stimuli. Until one day when I was spacing out at my desk, thinking which information dump to go to next, I noticed my pencil lying on the table. I picked it up, with nothing in mind, I started scribbling on a piece of paper. The products are in all forms, intersecting with each other but not showing any outline of specific objects. They are abstracts piled together. It struck me as I realized the freeing side of pencil. When you press it on to the paper lightly, the shade that comes out is lighter, and vice versa. I understood that I have control over the pencil and over what I want to do. Not some structured art assignment that tells me to have a meaning in my artwork, to go with the norms of art. It’s a language of my own. When I see the overcrowded lines, I feel the noisiness; when I see spaced lines, I feel the indifference and coldness. That day, I spent the entire afternoon scribbling and looking at lines and shapes that I had created with a pencil. A language is forming. Being focused on my “language”, I registered my change as I started tuning out my anxious and overthinking self. I am feeling the present, because every single line, is controlled by me. I need to stay focused on expressing my feelings through lines. One might ask why I wouldn’t write journals instead, that way I can articulate my feelings more intentionally. But writing is restrained, you have grammatical and spelling structures to follow. There are so many rules to adhere to in order to let the future you look back and be able to understand what the present you are trying to say. That’s exhausting. I started to use pencil to scribble every day before I go to bed. It’s refreshing, almost like a personal space where I express all my feelings that I’ve experienced in the day. Through utilizing my pencil, I can appreciate the beauty in gradient of shades, the beauty of my consciousness. I consider penciling the medium that allows me to connect with myself and be more aware of my thoughts and feelings. Even though pencil can only produce monochromatic colors, they mean color to me. It is my form of communication with myself. I’ve been out with my friends several times after quarantine. But now, I no longer feel the constant need to be accompanied by someone to be distracted from my thoughts. I’ve learned how to respect my personal space and alone time. A clear line between my “me time” and my socializing times is established. This change for me is immaculate as I change the lens I use to see the world in, but this time, with more self-consciousness with it. Pencil helped me comprehend the importance of self-acceptance and appreciation of the unnoticeable things in life. It made me more conscious of my surrounding as I continuously try to seek things that I’ve taken for granted or have ignored. It freed me from my personal crisis, giving color to my world through shades.
• 
  2020-12-15

  Jackson Brockenbrough

  Jackson Brockenbrough, Jdagiver Production, explained in a verbal interview that as a direct result of COVID his inspirational has been effected. Lack of city life has made it more difficult for him to tap into his creativity. The dullness within the current state of the world translates into his work as many artist are effected by the their life and surroundings as a source of inspiration. Jackson continued explaining that even though this time is more difficult to produce music, he has a responsibility as a producer during COVID. For example the world utilizes music as an outlet to express and feel emotions of such as emotions of fear and frustration that COVID induces.Jacksons has also been faced with the difficulty of individuals being unable to contribute to sessions like they did prior to job restrictions because of COVID. Jackson’s story explains how an entrepreneur faces not only individuals struggling, and competition but also effected by the economic state of his consumers too.